CHINESE PEPPER CHICKEN
| 400 g | chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces |
| ½ cup | corn flour (cornstarch) |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| 1 | red capsicum, deseeded and diced |
| vegetable oil for shallow frying, plus 1 tbsp extra | |
| black pepper sauce: | |
| 1 tbsp | whole Sichuan peppercorns |
| 1 tbsp | whole black peppercorns |
| ¼ cup | oyster sauce |
| 2 tbsp | Chinese Shaoxing wine |
| 1 tsp | sweet dark soy sauce |
| Marinade: | |
| 1 tbsp | soy sauce |
| 1 clove | garlic , finely grated |
| Combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients. Set aside for later. |
| Place the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan over high heat. Cook, shaking the pan, for 2 minutes or until the peppercorns are fragrant and just starting to smoke. Transfer to a mortar along with the black peppercorns. Grind to a fine powder. |
| Mix 1 tbsp of the peppercorn powder with the oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and sweet dark soy sauce. Keep the remaining peppercorn powder in an air-tight container and use to season anything from pan-fried chicken to grilled prawns. |
| Add about a centimetre of oil to the base of a wok or frying pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, toss half the marinated chicken in the corn flour and cook in the oil for 3-4 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining chicken and flour. |
| Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and capsicum and stir-fry for a minute. Add the chicken and the peppercorn sauce and stir-fry until well combined. Serve immediately. |